Post by Mark on Jul 27, 2017 0:16:14 GMT
Adapted from 101cookbooks
These 'puddle' cookies are really quite good and really very simple, consisting of only 6 ingredients. Be warned - they are quite sweet, but at least contain no butter - a real rarity in cookiedom these days.
Yield: About 18 giant cookies
Yield: About 18 giant cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of walnuts (or a mixture of walnuts, pecans and cashews if you like)
- 2 cups powdered (caster) sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 1½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (best quality possible)
- 2 large egg whites, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- scant 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Spread the walnut halves on a large baking tray and toast in the oven for 9-10 minutes until golden and fragrant.
- Let cool, then transfer nuts to a clean work surface and coarsely chop.
- Meanwhile, combine egg whites in a cup and set aside.
- In a large bowl, blend sifted cocoa powder, sugar and salt using a fork - the powders are so fine that they tend to fly out of the bowl if you are using a whisk. Add vanilla and egg whites. Using a hand held electric mixer whisk everything together until just moistened without overbeating as it will stiffen. The batter should look like a thick brownie mix. Now, stir in walnuts.
- Lower oven temperature to 325°F (163°C) and position two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven.
- Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Spoon tablespoonfuls of batter onto each baking sheet in evenly spaced mounds, leaving a good bit of space in between - at least 3 inches, and not too close to edge of the sheet as cookies will really expand.
- Bake for 14-17 minutes until cookies are puffed up with glossy, lightly cracked tops. Shift the pans from front to back and top to bottom halfway through to ensure even baking. Cookies will seem a bit soft when you take them out of the oven, but they will firm up as they cool, so be careful not to overbake them.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 3-5 days.